Hair-pin



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO MATHEW J. STEFFENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HAIR-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,096. datedSeptember 20, 1887.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, hIA'IHEW J. STEFFENS, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Hair-Pins,of which the following is a full description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1 and 4 are side views with thepin closed; Fig. 2, a side view with the pin open; Figs. 3 and 5, planor edge views.

The object of this invention is to provide a straight-pronged hair-pinwhich may be easily inserted or removed, and which will remain inposition when placed in the hair, and thereby avoid many of thedifficulties which have heretofore existed in the use of ordinaryhairpins.

In the drawings, A indicates the prongs; B, the spring; 0, projectingparts for Operating the pin, and D flattened points.

Pins containing my improvements are made with straight converging prongsof the wire ordinarily used for such purpose, or they may beniadeofsteel wire,which willgivethem a better spring act-ion, and thepins are to be made of varying sizes and of the different-sized wiresnow used for a similar purpose. VVhe'n made of the larger sizes, theprojections C may be flattened, as shown at Fig. 3, so as to give abetter hold for the hand, and when made of small wire such flatteningwill be omitted and the form of the wire preserved, as shown at Fig. 5.

The ends D are flattened, and may be left blunt or sharp, as desired.They, however, should not be made sharp enough to cut or injure thehair, and by flattening them the points are made to come together, asshown, when the pressure is removed from the projections C.

It will be seen that the hair-pin is made of a single piece of wire, towhich is given the necessary bends to produce the form shown, and thespring B may be an open spring, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or the wiremaybe given one or more coils, as shown at Fig. 4. In the form shown atFig. 4 a very small wire maybe used, so as to form apractically-invisible pin, and when larger wires are used it will beunderstood that one or both of the parts 0 may be finished with anornamental attachment or not, as may be desired, and for the smallersizes the flattening of the points D may be omitted, as the pin willlock itself in the hair without them; but the flattening is preferredfor all sizes.

In inserting the pin it is opened by pressure from the hand into theform shown at Fig. 2, when it is easily inserted, and when released itwill assume the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and lock itself in the hair,so that it will remain where placed, and by the use of this pin thehair, when dressed, will remain as dressed without the liability ofbecoming disarranged by the slipping out or movement of the hairpinsheretofore made and used.

I am aware that pins for use in papers and laces have been made withpointed double prongs tending to spring apart and connected by'aspring-loop or inward bend, whereby the double pin is held in place. Iam also aware that hair-pins have been made with double curved prongswithout spring-coils and having projections or enlargements to assist inholding the pin in place. These I do not claim, and my improved hair-pindiffers therefrom in consisting of straight converging prongs connectedby a spring-coil and having projections at the spring end by which theprongs are manipulated, the whole being made in a single piece.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hair-pin, the combination of two converging prongs, A A, theconnecting-spring B, and handle projections O C, said parts beingconstructed substantially as described, whereby the free ends of theconverging prongs spring normally inward and are separated by pressureon the handle projections, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hair-pin, the combination of the straight converging prongs A A,having flattened points D D, the spring B, and end projections, G O,substantially as shown and described.

MATHEW J. STEFFENS.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, HARRY T. J oNEs.

